Hot seat, huh? Says Richt: ‘I plan on having a hell of a year’
An action figure of Vince Dooley (middle) was on sale at the Galleria. (Photo by M. Bradley)
On the final day of 2010, Georgia lost to Central Florida to finish 6-7. If you’d asked then, or even a month later, what the mood of Bulldog Nation would be come July, I’d have said, “As grim as Nick Saban with an impacted wisdom tooth.”
Which shows, not for the first time, how wrong I can be.
The Bulldog Club of Metro Atlanta held its kickoff meeting Monday night at the Cobb Galleria, and I’ve attended this annual event — I saw Vince Dooley address these folks, or perhaps their parents, in his final season as coach — often enough to be attuned to nuance in the Red & Black. I’ve seen some tepid Bulldog Club gatherings. This wasn’t one.
Even Georgia’s coach conceded that things could have been different. “This room could have been empty,” Mark Richt told the throng. “Everyone could have said, ‘Georgia’s in the tank.’ ”
Last week Richt sat in Hoover, Ala., and said, “There’s no sense of gloom and doom.” To the assembled SEC media not based in this state, that sounded strange. Wasn’t this guy perched on the hottest seat in the college game? Who was he kidding?
Well, I’m here to attest: Richt’s not kidding. The outside world might look on Georgia and see a program poised to dump its coach, but that’s not the reality. At least not yet, and maybe anytime soon. Indeed, the first question from Monday’s gathering began: “Coach, we love you.”
“There are a lot of good vibes,” said Greg McGarity, the Bulldog grad who’s now the Georgia athletic director. And how, someone asked, do you go from not scoring a touchdown against Central Florida to believing you can take the SEC East?
The Dream Team happened. “That was a salve,” McGarity said, speaking of the ballyhooed recruiting class. “We needed something to calm the waters.”
But it wasn’t just one signing class. (Although Richt did tell the gathering that three incoming freshmen have “Dream Team” tattooed on their arms.) Said McGarity: “People also responded to the [staff and personnel] moves Coach Richt made. That sent the message that it was not just business as usual. They sensed a renewed sense of passion.”
And then? “We had a quiet summer,” McGarity said.
Here he knocked on a wooden tabletop. His obvious point of reference: No Bulldog has lately made the sort of summer headlines — meaning: gotten arrested — too many had made in summers past. Said McGarity: “We’ve had good news on top of good news on top of good news.”
Moments earlier, Richt had sought to explain how this fire has been rekindled. “I think, ‘We’re Georgia, ‘ ” he said. “We’ve got good players. We stumbled last year, but we weren’t far off. Greg has done a good job supporting us. The fans have done a great job supporting us.”
Then this, indirectly addressing his job status: “No one’s pushing the panic button. We believe in what we’re doing.”
Yeah, you’re doubtless asking, but will anyone still believe if Georgia is 0-2? The Bulldogs open against Boise State and then face South Carolina, the reigning SEC East champ. Two victories would thrust UGA into the top 10. One would be considered acceptable. None would prove problematic.
“That’s the thing,” Richt said. “If [0-2] happens, can we withstand all the stuff that will come? But just looking at it on paper, those might be the two best teams we play all year.”
For all the emphasis on Boise and Carolina, we forget this part: Even at 0-2, Georgia wouldn’t necessarily be sunk. There’s a chance it could still be favored in every remaining game, a chance — at least on the proverbial paper — 0-2 could become 10-2. And 10-2, in the grand scheme, would be viewed as a Bulldog resurgence.
And Richt, whom the watching world expects to be as restless as a Dawg on a hot tin roof, looks serene even by his own famous standards. He acts as if he knows something something others don’t. “I plan on having a hell of a year,” he said.
(And yes, Mark Richt really did say “hell” — but he meant it in a heavenly way.)
By Mark Bradley
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408 comments Add your comment
Gary
July 26th, 2011
3:40 pm
Wow all the haters are jumping on this one today. I am starting to feel better about the Dawgs already.
the voice
July 26th, 2011
3:45 pm
I feel another preseason NC!!!!
Dawg Gone
July 26th, 2011
3:49 pm
@slydog I don’t agree with you about CMR…I would like to thank you for your service!!
John
July 26th, 2011
3:49 pm
I believe Coach Bobo is a good coach but is still developing with his play calling abilities. I agree that he does need to improve in that one area. Coach Richt obviously has confidence that he will or he would have replaced or demoted him. While our coach some may say is not on Saban’s or Spurrier’s level I beg to differ. He has one of the highest winning percentages ever and has held his own versus both Saban and Spurrier. Yes, his record against Florida needs to improve, but remember, Meyer is no longer there. Let’s wait and see what happens now that Muschamp is at the helm.
Go Dawgs!
RxDawg
July 26th, 2011
3:50 pm
“He acts as if he knows something something others don’t. “I plan on having a hell of a year,” he said.”
Oh yeh! Pass some of that kool aid over here, gugalugalugalug
slydog
July 26th, 2011
3:54 pm
@ Dawg Gone Thanks very much
Snoop Dawg
July 26th, 2011
4:02 pm
That’s the thing,” Richt said. “If [0-2] happens, can we withstand all the stuff that will come? But just looking at it on paper, those might be the two best teams we play all year.”
That’s predictable. Preacha Man’s already got the stratcom to counter the first two losses. But what’s this stuff about can WE withstand all the stuff that will come? Listen, the Bulldog Nation has withstood all the “stuff” that Preacha Man Mark “Marjoe” Richt has been peddling the past few years. We can definitely withstand it, but he hopefully cannot.
I am disappointed that the UGA leadership has not already fired Richt. I have no doubt that this time next year the next head coach will have already recruited a Top 10 class to join the ranks of those great ones before them…
GDAWG65
July 26th, 2011
4:15 pm
I hope CMR is right in his positive attitude. To have that confidence he must have moved Bobo to water boy and taken over the OC job. We desperately need an experienced and winning OC. Bobo must gogo.
Marietta Resident
July 26th, 2011
4:18 pm
Go Dawgs!
this dawg want hunt!!
July 26th, 2011
4:19 pm
He knows something UGA fans don’t know, that is how to keep your job when you make $3 million a year, and you are the 7th best coach in the SEC, and you had a losing season on top of that. This guy reminds me so much of Billy Graham when he is preaching to the desperate souls that will listen and believe any thing he says. The UGA fan base is the same way, They are so desperate for some good news, that they will still believe anything the Reverend tells them. First of all, it doesn’t matter how many blue chip players this clown recruits, because he still has his hand picked O.C.the 7th or 8th best O.C. in the conference. He still has the worst running backs coach, w.r coach, and O.L. coach in the SEC, and the jury is still out of his defensive coordinator and the other defensive coaches. So when things get tight in the 4th qtr. you can always count of BooBoo to make that one boneheaded call that stalls a drive,and results in a field goal(which is a Richt specialty), or a punt. There is no way in hell this coach will suddenly turn everything around after 3 seasons of mediocre coaching, game planning, and game day adjustments. Simply put, UGA fans can drink all of the Kool-aid this clown makes, but at the end of the season that kool-aid finally want taste so good to the most delusional UGA fan. When a program has the 7th best coach in the conference, and the 8th best O.C. in the conference, the future doesn’t look so great, or in this clown’s words,” a helluva year”.
John
July 26th, 2011
4:22 pm
While I understand the desire to remove Richt, be careful what you ask for. He may not be the perfect coach in your mind, but he has put Georgia back on the map after years of Goff and Donnan. Every year that Georgia has had an experienced quarterback in place, we have won a minimum of 10 games. That is 6 out of 6 years. 02,03,04,05,07,08. Years where we have broken in a new qb with virtually no exp: 01,06,09 and 2010: 8,9,8 and 6 wins respectively. I believe it is imperative that Christian LeMay and/or Hutson Mason get valuable experience for when Murray departs more than anything else.
I would love to see Herschel Walker hired as our running backs coach. I wonder if he would do it if asked?
As for Cam Newton, I would have loved to see him wearing the red and black, but auburn only got him for one year and will likely turn in that trophy before too long. I would rather earn the championship the right way, not in a compromising way. I want to see our quarterbacks for three to four years like Green, Shockley, Stafford and Murray. Marshall wants to play defense so he can play basketball too – his decision, not Richt’s.
Go Dawgs!
What
July 26th, 2011
4:28 pm
And I plan on winning the mega millions this year.
All In
July 26th, 2011
4:33 pm
I love how people automatically check Auburn off as a win. Raining National Champions regardless of the losses do to the NFL should never be considered as a write off. I am the first to admit that AU is going to have to play great ball this year in order to contend but please if you have any common sense don’t write them off as an easy W. Until you actually do something with you program and win a relevant game or title you room for personal arrogant gestures is not welcomed here. Say what you want about Cam and how he was the team but if you know anything about football, one player can’t win a game.Michael Dyer 182 touches 1093yds and Michael Lattimore 249 touches 1197yds. Unreal offensive line and great college wide receivers. On top of that we have probably one of the best tight ends in the country. Go ahead and account for 70 catches this year for LUTZ… Should be an interesting season for ole Richy and the dawgs…..
LHarding Dawg
July 26th, 2011
4:33 pm
Coach Bobo’s offense only averaged 30 points a game last year. What the heck to you people want? We had a bad year, get over it, get a life, and look forward to a new and much better 2011 season.
slydog
July 26th, 2011
4:35 pm
@ John I think, or at least believe, if Cam would have came to UGA during his first go’ round, it would have been clean. I don’t believe he took anything to go to UF. He just simply fit what they were trying to do on offense. Notice the alledged statement his father made, “..this time it won’t be for free..” This implies that Cam must have told him about other players at UF who were compensated for signing. For the life of me, I cannot believe he was offered $180,000 for a player who was unproven, made bad grades, and bought a stolen laptop. You’re right about Nick Marshall though.
Low Expectations
July 26th, 2011
4:42 pm
Questions for Mark Bradley: Do you believe UGA will ever participate in a BCS national championship game under Richt? Where would you rank Richt as compared to his SEC peers? National peers? Do you think Richt would have lasted as long (10 years so far) at AL, LSU, Florida or even Auburn without once appearing in a national championship game? Do you feel UGA fans have lower expectations than these schools and are happy as long as GA consistently wins 8-10 games a year while others compete for national championships. Just curious as to your opinions.
LHarding Dawg
July 26th, 2011
4:42 pm
I’m not automatically implying AU is a win. In 2007 Georgia went to Auburn (ranked #5) and beat them 45-20. We did it to them, don’t think they can’t do it to us.
Terry
July 26th, 2011
4:49 pm
by Jay Tate – NCAA closing the Cam Newton loophole?
The NCAA on Tuesday proposed to change its official definition of agent to include “third-party influences, including family members, who market student-athletes’ athletics ability or reputation for personal financial gain.” The NCAA’s proposal doesn’t name Cam Newton or anyone in his family, but it’s clearly devised to close a loophole that allowed Newton to remain eligible at Auburn last season.
Dawg Tired
July 26th, 2011
4:49 pm
Looks as if Stephen Garcia has only been modeling his position coach’s behavior all along. He certainly has learned well.
UGAly
July 26th, 2011
4:53 pm
Begin 2 and 0 or go
slydog
July 26th, 2011
4:53 pm
I think all South Carolina fans have a reason to be worried. Garcia’s drinking buddy has been suspended just before the season….hahahahha
DAwg Prop
July 26th, 2011
4:57 pm
with all this talent and the dream team recruits, richt will start dominating the SEC east. Florida and tenn will suck this year so Ga can finally win the division.
bubba4dawgs
July 26th, 2011
4:59 pm
I love it when the GT Nerds get on here and smart mouth the DAWGS! Hey, get a team! GT4ever…..go play with your slide rule!
craig
July 26th, 2011
5:09 pm
Boise St. lost their last meeting against our Dogs with a superior team that beat Okla. However, I will be surprise to see this happen again. We have a new red-shirted running back. We did it before, I wont to see it, but it wont happen!
You just love my dawgy style
July 26th, 2011
5:22 pm
Of course UGA is gonna have a good year. With that many cupcakes on the schedule, how could they not. Let’s all pretend Miss State is gonna come to Athens and make us earn every bit of that W.
I don’t think so. Any other season expectations would be through the roof. Not a single tough road game on the schedule.
We can lose to South Carolina b/c that’s who we are now. No big deal. Just go to church and jiss your cousin.
If anybody wants to say CMR is awesome for winning nine games this year, they need to have their head examined.
HuttHut
July 26th, 2011
5:26 pm
A great year?
1. Richt will try and not finish 12th in SEC in TO margin against winning tams for the 3rd straight year
2. Richt will try and not finish 10th in SEC RUSHING
3. Richt will try and not finish 10th in scoring against winning teams
4. Richt will try and not finish 12th in SEC in def 3rd down conversions
5. Richt will try and recover more than 1 fumble against winnning teams
6. Richt will try and beat a winning team, unlike last season
7. Richt will try and beat a ranked team, unlike last season
8. Richt will try and not start the season with his best players suspended
HuttHut
July 26th, 2011
5:27 pm
mike Bobo’s offense averaged 15 points a game against ranked teams.
danny
July 26th, 2011
5:54 pm
CMR has been studying football since last season.
hotdawg
July 26th, 2011
5:58 pm
0-2 start I could maybe handle against two higher ranked teams. If those games are blowouts against us and we look lost then the drums will start beating again.
hahahaha
July 26th, 2011
6:07 pm
Nothing like throwing that hell comment out there to fire up the fan base and show your renewed passion for coaching. Wonder if he says it’s hotter than hell down here when he is on his mission trips?
needums
July 26th, 2011
6:21 pm
“Even if we go 0-2, the seasons not sunk” Already the excuses are starting for going 0-2, we don’t need to have that kind of attitude. What’s next? “well we tried as hard as we could” or “the ball just didn’t bounce our way” or how bout my favorite “theres always next year” I’m getting sick of this!!!!!
FL dawg
July 26th, 2011
7:30 pm
Long season. Lotta hype. 10-2 is 10-2, but the dawgs have recruiting concerns in SC. Ilook for the dawgs to play smarter against Boise State and more of a free for all against SS.
RamboDog
July 26th, 2011
7:35 pm
@all in
I love how people automatically check Auburn off as a win. Raining National Champions regardless of the losses do to the NFL should never be considered as a write off. I am the first to admit that AU is going to have to play great ball this year in order to contend but please if you have any common sense don’t write them off as an easy W
UGA is counting it as a W because it will be an easy W…. and as for your comment about winning a championship, we will and it won’t cost us $$$ like you cheaters. You are “one and done”, and the NCAA will be taking you to the woodshed in the future, need to tell your stupid, cocky coach to put a sock in that hole in the middle of his face!! Hahahahahahahahah
the stage is set
July 26th, 2011
7:52 pm
Win the BS game and MR is a hero. Lose and he is a ____!
Test
July 26th, 2011
8:08 pm
test
RamboDog
July 26th, 2011
8:09 pm
Why am I blocked???
RamboDog
July 26th, 2011
8:16 pm
All In
July 26th, 2011
4:33 pm
Auburn is “one and done”, you won’t get a REFUND when the NCAA takes you behind the woodshed and makes your fans cry like babies. Tell your stupid, arrogant coach to put a sock in that hole in the middle of his face or it will be worse in the end.
UGA will put a beatdown on AU with no problem this year. 5th in the West for you guys this year… looks like a rebuilding year, hope ya’ll are saving up some money for your next vacated title run!!! With the current state of the economy, you should be able to get some good deals !!!! Losers
Warhorse
July 26th, 2011
8:56 pm
It always is a dream team and a dream season for UGA during the summer. Unfortunately, by November after the poodles run into that mean Gator, it turns out to be merely a wet dream team.
WormDirt
July 26th, 2011
9:13 pm
South Carolina will have SIX losses this season….. LSU and Arkansas will decide the west when they meet on Friday, November 25th….. and Georgia will stomp Tech the following Saturday and await the winner with every pundit picking Georgia to lose because they spent the entire season mastabating to LSU and Alabama and will only remember Georgia’s overtime loss to Boise State…..
THEN….. Georgia wins the SEC and Richt laughs to himself and prays for the well-being of every hater and their extended family.
Peace be with you.
YOu heard it here first.
Mobile Dawg
July 26th, 2011
9:16 pm
If I make 3 or 4 Million this year, I’m going to have a hell of a year too.
NCAA police
July 26th, 2011
9:42 pm
Who paid for the three dream team tattoos?
whatever
July 26th, 2011
10:15 pm
CMR has the gall to say that he has a renewed sense of passion??? WHAT?? After all – this coach – who should be coaching Div II (or what ever it’s called today) – is making millions a year and he has a renewed sense of passion? Very troubling.
Matt
July 26th, 2011
10:18 pm
Richt needs to “plan on”:
beating a ranked team and a few teams with a winning record and quit faking like he’s a leader. Leaders step up in big games.
Richt’s 0-5 vs. ranked teams in 2010.
100% coach better than Richt.
suwanee dawg
July 26th, 2011
10:23 pm
Interesting posts on this blog and it’s not even August. AJC writers are good at posting articles that generate clicks and page views. Last I checked, nothing matters until September…
truedawg
July 26th, 2011
10:30 pm
What CMR sees is a better work ethic and a better team spirit. He sees stronger players and better prepared to play for 2 OT and not just 4 qtrs. He sees players that don’t want to feel what its like to lose again. This team will surprise some people. I’m not saying they will win the NC or even the SEC but they will be in the conversation. This Defense will be lights out. This team has leadership. Mark Richt has a fire inside of him and the coaching staff is on board and on the same page. There is unity. Now Bulldog nation its up to you. I ask give it 5 games. Give 5 games of full support. Then judge. CMR has earned the chance and this TEAM deserves our support. Rain or shine..I’ll be yellin GO DAWGS on the 20 yard line! GO DAWGS!!
Barack Dawg
July 26th, 2011
11:18 pm
gtfanfrom1951 – Just to let you know – you were on the UGA blog not the GT blog. Did you keep your ring from the cheating 2009 year? Oh you don’t have to worry about the win against UGA…errr sorry the loss you had against UGA. You get to keep that.
tennessee tom
July 27th, 2011
6:58 am
Here we go again,Ga is the preseason champ,new uniforms and tattos want win many games,what ever you all are smoking it must be expensive
RedandBlackDAWG
July 27th, 2011
7:09 am
I want to thank all of the UGA haters that come on to this blog spouting their usual dribble about UGA. Not an original thought amongst any of you. It let’s true UGA fans and myself know that you are indeed worried that UGA just might hand you your butt when they play your teams. I have looked through some of the blogs of your teams and I don’t see nearly the interest by outsiders about your team, so I can only assume that real UGA fans, just don’t give a darn about you or your team. The game is played on the field, not in your minds. Go cheer for your team on your own teams blogs. Beleive me, from what I have seen, with the exception of AL.COM, there are a lot of pretty pitiful, weak, supporters of your own team. AJC may not be perfect, but at least they allow idiots like a lot of you, to come on and make statements usually reserved for kids in the 3rd grade, so you have a way to express yourself.
FLA DAWG
July 27th, 2011
8:08 am
HAPPY HORSE SHYTE,
When Richt has to pretend to be excited you know we’re in trouble.
It’s not in his nature to be outwardly passionate.
Enough of the BS. Let’s see what happens on Sept 3 & 10.
Andy
July 27th, 2011
8:39 am
The sooner UGA fans come to the realization that UGA is a middle of the SEC pack regional program, the better off they will be.